Bryce Underwood named Michigan QB: Prized recruit is fourth true freshman to start for Wolverines in Week 1

Vaunted prospect Bryce Underwood has been named Michigan’s starting quarterback ahead of the Wolverines’ Aug. 30 season opener against New Mexico, coach Sherrone Moore announced. 

“He’s earned the opportunity, it was not given to him,” Moore said. “All the other quarterbacks had a good camp as well … Jadyn Davis has really come along and really taken the next steps. He’ll be the No. 2 … Bryce took the necessary steps and really took ownership of his abilities and took ownership of the team, and became a leader on the team. 

“For a young guy, very mature beyond his years, and he’s still only 18 years old,” Moore said of Underwood. “He’s going to make mistakes, but that’s what we’re here for — coaches, players, we’re all going to support him.” 

When the Wolverines flipped Underwood from LSU in November, it became a matter of when — not if — he would get substantive playing time of his freshman season. The answer? Immediately.

Underwood will be the fourth true freshman quarterback to start a Michigan season opener and the first since Tate Forcier in 2009. The Belleville, Michigan, native beat out out Fresno State transfer Mikey Keene and last season’s passing leader, Davis Warren, for the job.

Unlike the top-ranked quarterback prospects of the last several recruiting classes — DJ Lagway (2024), Arch Manning (2023) and Drew Allar (2022) —  Underwood won’t begin his career apprenticing behind a veteran.

Underwood is no stranger to starting as a freshman. He earned the quarterback job at Belleville High School in 2021 and guided the school to a 38-game winning streak, which included the program’s first-ever undefeated season in 2022. At 6-foot-4 and 228 pounds, he owns a physically imposing frame and what 247Sports director of scouting Andrew Ivins referred to as “the ideal blend of size, arm talent and athleticism.”

Regardless of how polished Underwood is in Week 1, he should upgrade the Wolverines’ passing game. Michigan ranked No. 130 of 134 FBS teams last season in passing offense at 129 yards per game. The three service academies were the only teams who averaged fewer yards through the air than Michigan, which finished 8-5 under first-year coach Sherrone Moore.

Michigan’s QB battle comes to an end

It wasn’t a foregone conclusion that Underwood would emerge as the Day 1 starter. Keene’s December commitment gave the Wolverines a legitimate second option after he totaled 5,868 yards and 42 touchdowns over the past two seasons at Fresno State. 

Warren also demonstrated some measure of playability last season while quarterbacking Michigan to a 3-0 finish that included victories over arch rival Ohio State and a ReliaQuest Bowl win over Alabama.

But Michigan’s reported $10 million investment in Underwood and his immense potential made the QB1 position his to lose. Even before preseason practices began, Underwood was turning heads, and that trajectory continued during camp. 

Given that he’s drawn comparisons to Cam Newton and Vince Young, Underwood is expected to return the Wolverines to national-title contention before he becomes draft-eligible in 2028.

However, recent history suggests relying on a true freshman quarterback will bring hiccups. Nebraska finished 7-6 last season with five-star freshman Dylan Raiola as its opening day starter. It was a roller-coaster ride that ended with Raiola throwing for 13 touchdowns and 11 interceptions as the Cornhuskers dropped five of their final six regular-season games. UCLA began the 2023 season with five-star prospect Dante Moore as its starting quarterback before making a midseason change.

Underwood’s 2025 outlook

Beyond his own immense talent, Underwood could find more immediate success than Raiola and Moore because of what’s around him. The Wolverines are projected to field an elite defense in 2025 and have restocked their offensive skill position groups with transfers. Among them is former Alabama running back Justice Haynes, who ranked as the top transfer running back of the 2025 cycle.

The schedule is also manageable. While the Wolverines must play six true road games, they avoid Big Ten stalwarts Penn State and Oregon and don’t play Ohio State until the final week of the season.

Underwood’s first crack will come against a New Mexico team that was picked to finish 11th in the Mountain West while rebooting under first-year coach Jason Eck. The stakes will increase dramatically in Week 2, when Michigan travels to Oklahoma for a marquee showdown.

After hosting Central Michigan in Week 3, the Wolverines open Big Ten play at Nebraska in Week 4 on CBS.